It feels like we are seeing backup quarterbacks seeing more action as the NFL progresses year over year. Even last year was a perfect example, as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones started eight games and helped the team shore up a solid season.
The Denver Broncos had to turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham when Bo Nix broke his ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs had to tap into their backup quarterback reserves when Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Having a solid backup is massive with the way things have done in the NFL, so our latest NFL power rankings will take a look at all 32 teams, and we'll rank them by their quarterback rooms for 2026 - not just looking at the starter, but also looking at the current backup and third-stringer.
Power-ranking all 32 quarterback rooms for the 2026 NFL Season
32. Cleveland Browns (Watson, Sanders, Gabriel)
There had to be in a team in last place, and it'll be the Cleveland Browns. Both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel honestly looked horrific last year, and Deshaun Watson hasn't been good for about five years now. Could this be one of the worst quarterback rooms in the history of the NFL? It's possible.
31. Arizona Cardinals (Brissett, Minshew, Beck)
If nothing else, the Arizona Cardinals have two high-quality backups in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, and a rookie in Carson Beck. Beck seeing some starts this year would be an ideal scenario, as the Cardinals will never know if he's going to emerge as a franchise quarterback unless he gets on the field.
30. Miami Dolphins (Willis, Ewers, Miller)
Malik Willis filled in nicely for the Green Bay Packers as Jordan Love's backup, but he's really nothing special and doesn't have much on-field experience. Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller are 'just a guy(s)' type of players, so there isn't really much going on with this group right now.
29. New York Jets (Smith, Klubnik, Cook)
Geno Smith is the starting quarterback, which isn't something you want to hear in the 2026 year. Cade Klubnik was a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so he should be able to get some starts this year if the Jets were smart. It's clear, though, that the Jets are angling toward the 2027 NFL Draft, as they have three first-round picks and could land a potential franchise quarterback during that time.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (Cousins, Mendoza, O’Connell)
The Las Vegas Raiders don't have nothing at the quarterback position. Both Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell are in that tier of backup quarterback that won't make your eyes widen in disgust - both are competent being in that type of role. The Raiders did snag Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while the franchise is surely encouraged by this quarterback room, there isn't a guarantee that he'll pan out, but a plan is in place.
27. Atlanta Falcons (Tagovailoa, Penix, Siemian)
One of the more interesting quarterbacks in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons will have two left-handed quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Tua Tagovailoa did play quite well for the Miami Dolphins in the 2022-2024 seasons, and if he can tap into those years in 2026, the Falcons will win a ton of games. However, there is a reason why the Dolphins ate a ton of dead money to have him not play for their team.
Michael Penix Jr is already in his third year, and, unsurprisingly (and unfortunately) cannot stay healthy. Trevor Siemian is a guy and has been around for about a decade now, but there isn't a clear quarterback plan in place.
26. Tennessee Titans (Ward, Trubisky, Levis)
Cam Ward played quite well down the stretch for the Tennessee Titans and could breakout in year two, but as we have said and will continue to say, there is no guarantee he does that. Mitchell Trubisky is a fine backup option and can hold the fort down in a pinch, and Will Levis, if nothing else, does have a massive arm and does have some frisky quarterbacking on his resume thus far.
This isn't the worst quarterback room in the NFL right now.
25. New Orleans Saints (Shough, Rattler, Wilson)
Tyler Shough played quite well down the stretch for the New Orleans Saints in 2025, so Saints fans should be encouraged. Spencer Rattler didn't play horribly for the Saints in his career thus far, and he appears to be a solid backup option. Zach Wilson brings up the rear and has unfortunately been firmly in the 'bust' category.
The Saints do have a young-ish quarterback in Shough and he appears to have all the necessary tools to be a franchise quarterback, but the ceiling appears to be limited, and he's already set to turn 27 in September.
24. New York Giants (Dart, Winston, Allen)
The New York Giants have an encouraging quarterback in the QB1 spot for 2026. Jaxson Dart did rack up 24 total touchdowns in 14 games in his rookie season, and while it may have felt dysfunctional, Dart did play quite well and had a 3:1 TD:INT ratio, which is very impressive even for the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The other passer of note here is Jameis Winston, who is definitely in that 'spot starter' category. Winston can play well in small bunches, but any team that needs to start Winston for an extended period of time is not in a good spot.
If Dart hits his stride, the Giants could end up with one of the better quarterback rooms in the NFL, but with many rooms in this tier of our power rankings, there is a lot of unknown present.
23. Carolina Panthers (Young, Pickett, Grier)
I am just not sure I can be that high on the Carolina Panthers for the 2026 season. Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025 but was still largely mediocre. He tossed 23 touchdown passes, went 8-8 as a starter, and threw for less than 200 passing yards per game.
Kenny Pickett is also the backup, and his career arc has been disappointing thus far. He did get overdrafted by about four rounds a few years ago by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he's really nothing exciting as a backup, either.
The Panthers still have some work to do at this position.
22. Indianapolis Colts (Jones, Richardson, Leonard)
Across the first half of the 2025 season, the Indianapolis Colts were firing on all cylinders. Daniel Jones was playing at a borderline MVP level, and Indy raced out to a 7-1 start. Things fell apart, and now Jones is again dealing with a significant injury. He tore his Achilles during the 2025 season, and it feels like the 2025 season has been totally erased.
Riley Leonard may actually end up beginning the year as the backup, as Anthony Richardson could still be viewed as a prime trade candidate, as signing Jones in the first place last year was clearly done to admit defeat on attempting to get the most out of Richardson.
It's hard to find much to like right now with the Colts' quarterback situation unless Jones is able to regain that early 2025 form in the 2026 season, which is far from guaranteed.
21. Minnesota Vikings (Murray, McCarthy, Wentz)
Oh boy. This is certainly a quarterback room. As of now, it would be a massive shock if Kyler Murray did not start for the Minnesota Vikings this year, and I am of the opinion that there was some sort of back-door agreement that Murray would start for the team this year, despite what could end up being marketed as a 'quarterback competition' in the media.
Murray is a fine player who has always been relatively productive, but he's never really ascended past being viewed as an average-ish, perhaps good player. JJ McCarthy has unfortunately struggled to stay on the field and just has not been very good when he's gotten on it. It feels like the Vikings have already thrown in the towel on McCarthy.
If not, they wouldn't have signed Murray to begin with. Carson Wentz is also in the room, and I do believe there is a chance that Wentz ends up being the QB2 of the Vikings for 2025. He's a perfectly fine backup and someone that can be a spot starter and win a few games if needed.
If Murray hits his stride in 2026, which is possible given he's never been on a team with this good of a supporting cast, the Vikings could be dangerous.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (Rodgers, Rudolph, Howard/Allar)
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed Aaron Rodgers to come back for one more season, but not because he was good in 2025. In fact, Rodgers and the Steelers were rather average. Sure, the counting stats looked great, but the offense didn't do anything particularly well, and Rodgers is now set to turn 43 years old near the end of the regular season.
If the Steelers feel good enough about Will Howard and Drew Allar, they could move on from Mason Rudolph in some capacity, and, ideally, one of the younger players emerges as a potential starter for them in 2027.
That's the ideal situation, so Rodgers returning does give the coaching staff a full year to see how Howard and Allar progress in their development.
19. Philadelphia Eagles (Hurts, Dalton, McKee)
A largely underwhelming quarterback room, Jalen Hurts is a fine option but is a very limited passer. Andy Dalton did have his run as Cincinnati's starting quarterback in the early-late 2010s, but he's a backup player at this point.
The Eagles will likely need to see Hurts play a more complete style of quarterback to feel comfortable in him remaining the long-term starter. Hurts has actually never thrown for 4,000 yards in a season, and has never thrown more than 25 touchdown passes in a season. This is a big year for him.
18. Washington Commanders (Daniels, Mariota, Kaliakmanis)
Just about everything went wrong for the Washington Commanders in the 2025 season. Jayden Daniels was only on the field for seven starts, so we saw a lot of Marcus Mariota last year. Mariota is a fine backup and is honestly one of the better backups in the NFL. He does have a solid track record of production as a starter and is no slouch.
However, Daniels playing less than half the time in 2025 is a cause for concern. If this is the beginning of an injury history, the Commanders are in trouble, and no matter how good your backup is, no team is going to sustain winning when the starter is out for this long.
Ideally, Daniels gets back on the field for all 17 games, and Washington can then feel comfortable about investing in him for the long-term. Mariota's spot as a backup does provide some optimism that he can get the team a win or two if Daniels misses a game here and there.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mayfield, Browning, Bazelak)
Baker Mayfield and Jake Browning highlight the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback room, coming in at No. 17 in our power rankings. Mayfield and the Buccaneers' offense had a down year in 2025, but when Mayfield is playing at his best, there really arean't many passers who are better.
Jake Browning is a functional, trustworthy backup, and this room as a whole just isn't a major issue for the team right now. The main issue for the Bucs has been a limited ceiling and some poor coaching.
If this team can't get back to that 10-ish win tier in 2026, while also capturing the NFC South title, there could be some major changes made. Mayfield is good enough for this to happen, as he was playing out of his mind as recently as the 2024 season.
16. Houston Texans (Stroud, Mills, Mertz)
CJ Stroud and Davis Mills form a solid quarterback duo. Mills is a good backup who went 3-0 in relief of Stroud during the 2025 season, and that's honestly more than you'd ask for from your QB2. Unfortunately, Stroud has been rather average these past two seasons, so the low-ish spot in this ranking is primarily because of that, but as a pure backup quarterback, Mills' standing in a backup quarterback ranking would be a lot higher than No. 16.
The Texans are getting us to the halfway point in our quarterback room power rankings.
15. Chicago Bears (Williams, Bagent, Keenum)
There was a lot to like with Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in the 2025 season. While Williams' completion percentage dipped below 60 percent, he threw more touchdowns and took fewer sacks, so those are two significant areas of improvement for the now third-year player.
Tyson Bagent went 2-2 as the Bears starter in 2023 and is really just another guy in a quarterback room. Case Keenum is also present in the room and is definitely an experienced, reliable backup who the Bears could lean on if Williams can't play for whatever reason.
The Bears have something brewing in Chicago, but it's going to take another sizeable leap from Williams in 2026 to fully see that potential.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (Lawrence, Mullens, Bradley)
Trevor Lawrence highlights the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback room, which comes in at No. 14 in our power rankings. Lawrence did play extremely well over the last month and a half of the season, but that was the best football of his career, and it was not a very large sample size.
While it's reasonable to be high on Lawrence for 2026, we'll need to see him sustain this kind of play for a majority of the season, as he wasn't anything special in the first half of 2025. Nick Mullens is entrenched as the backup. He has not started a game since 2023 but has started as many as eight games in a season before, so if Lawrence were to go down for a few weeks, Mullens would be a solid option to keep the ship afloat.
13. Green Bay Packers (Love, Taylor, McCord)
The Green Bay Packers quarterback room comes in at No. 13 in our power rankings. Jordan Love has been a rock-solid player for the Packers in his three years as the starter, but he's never won more than nine games in his career and has missed two games in each of the last two seasons, so he has never been able to bust into that upper tier.
Tyrod Taylor is now in as the backup, and Taylor has been around for quite some time and has done just about anything a quarterback could possibly do on the field. Taylor is a reliable veteran, and you can tell that the Packers wanted to continue fielding elite backup situations, as Willis previously held that role and was outstanding when his number was called.
If Love again misses a couple of games, Taylor is perfectly capable in filling in and leading the Packers to victory.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (Herbert, Lance, Uiagalelei)
The Los Angeles Chargers come in at No. 12 in our quarterback room power rankings for the 2026 season. The Chargers, depending on who you ask, have a top-10 quarterback in Justin Herbert, who has been a model of consistency throughout his entire career. He's been an efficient passer since entering the league and really burst onto the scene as a fun rookie.
Trey Lance, unfortunately, is one of the more notable NFL Draft busts in recent memory, but his standing as a backup quarterback, especially to someone like Herbert who has similar traits, is not a bad idea. Lance is also still quite young, so this could be a long-term setup for the Chargers with Herbert and Lance leading the charge.
It's not the best room in the NFL, but this also isn't a duo that actively loses games for their team.
11. Denver Broncos (Nix, Stidham, Ehlinger)
We talked about the Broncos quarterback room briefly in the beginning of this exercise. Nix was a 17-game starter for the Broncos in the 2025 season and helped the Broncos to a stellar 14-3 record, which was tied for the best in the NFL. Nix clearly has the goods, but a below-average group of playmakers has made his counting stats look a lot worse than what the eye test tells us
And while Stidham wasn't playing well in the AFC Championship Game, the Broncos hung around with New England and only lost by three. That was an impossible situation for Stidham to step into. Sam Ehlinger is their third-string quarterback. He's a dual-threat player who could slide into their backup spot in 2027 if the Broncos elect to not re-sign Stidham and instead bring the friskier Ehlinger back.
10. New England Patriots (Maye, DeVito, Morton)
Speaking of New England, the Patriots' quarterback room is No. 10 in our power rankings. Drake Maye was flat-out excellent in 2025, but it's almost important to remember that the Patriots had an insanely easy schedule, and this was just one season that Maye played out of his mind. With the rest of the quarterback room being nothing special, this isn't some 'elite of the elite' group we have here.
If Maye continues his 2025 hot streak into 2026, the Patriots will again be a top team in the AFC, but given how much harder the schedule gets, a slight regression is not the unlikeliest outcome this coming season.
9. Seattle Seahawks (Darnold, Lock, Milroe)
Sam Darnold headlines the Seattle Seahawks quarterback room, a very fun group of players. Darnold was signed in free agency by Seattle back in 2025. Drew Lock has stuck around ever since the Russell Wilson trade, as the Broncos included him in the package, and Jalen Milroe was a draft pick.
So, the Seahawks' quarterback room is built via free agency, trade, and the NFL Draft. While Darnold was not excellent in 2025, he was plenty good enough to help the Seahawks win it all, and his ability to throw the ball downfield is a skill that only a few other quarterbacks have. Lock is a functional backup, and Milroe is someone who may be able to provide some long-term stability if Darnold ever fizzles out with the Seahawks.
They crack our top-10 here.
8. San Francisco 49ers (Purdy, Jones, Rourke)
What we saw in the 2025 season from San Francisco was a perfect example of just how imporant it is to have a functional backup. Jones started eight games for the 49ers last year, going 5-3 in those games, while throwing 13 touchdowns and earning a 97.4 passer rating.
Purdy started the other nine games, going 7-2 in those starts and throwing 20 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. All in all, the 49ers went 12-5 in the regular season despite seeing their backup quarterback starting about half the time.
It would have been insane if the 49ers broke up the Purdy/Jones duo, as the 49ers were a viable playoff team last year, and that would not have been the case had Jones not played as well as he did. San Francisco comes in at No. 8 in our power rankings, and it's deserved.
7. Buffalo Bills (Allen, Kyle Allen, Buechele)
It feels like the only time Josh Allen will come off the field and not play in a game for the Buffalo Bills is because the Bills have already clinched a playoff seed and have nothing to play for. Allen is obviously doing the heavy-lifting here. He's one of the best quarterbacks of this generation and is someone who appears to be right in the middle of his prime.
Backup quarterback Kyle Allen started 12 games for Carolina way back in 2019, but outside of that stint, Allen hasn't done much else and is definitely nothing special as a backup, but the Bills obviously did not sign Allen with the thought that Josh Allen would be missing some time. That just isn't how front offices think, especially Buffalo's.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (Mahomes, Fields, Nussmeier)
The Chiefs quarterback room comes in at No. 6 in our power rankings. Patrick Mahomes may already be one of the greatest to ever do it, so that's that. He is coming off a torn ACL, so it's worth wondering if there is some sort of physical decline associated with that injury.
It's not a guarantee one way or another, but Mahomes seems to be angling toward being fully ready for Week 1. Justin Fields was a quarterback the Chiefs actually traded for this offseason. While a bad starting quarterback, Fields would likely thrive in this type of role.
The Chiefs aren't really boasting the elite offense they once did, but Fields being in a backup situation on an offense coached by Andy Reid can't hurt. Ideally, Mahomes returns and starts all 17 games, but Fields needing to step in for a week or two is not the worst thing in the world.
5. Dallas Cowboys (Prescott, Milton III, Howell)
I believe people are too over-infatuated with Joe Milton III because of his insane arm strength - that's really the only 'good' part of his game. Sam Howell, though, would present quite the backup situation. Howell has starting experience and threw for over 3,900 yards with Washington back in 2024.
Dak Prescott is the starter, and he's been a highly efficient quarterback for much of his career. He's the best passer in the NFC East and helped lead a top-10 scoring offense last season. Even if Milton or Howell was needing to step into the lineup for whatever reason, the personnel is so strong that both could be efficient enough.
4. Baltimore Ravens (Jackson, Huntley, Fagnano)
Tyler Huntley is a good backup. He's 7-9 as a starter with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his 30 total NFL regular season games. Huntley also has five rushing touchdowns and is 5-6 with the Ravens when he's needed to start.
Lamar Jackson is the best dual-threat quarterback of all-time but has dealt with injuries here and there, so it's no surprise that Huntley is the backup. Both Jackson and Huntley also have similar skillsets. As of now, Joe Fagnano is penciled in as the QB3. He went undrafted in 2026 and threw just one interception in college in 2025.
The duo of Jackson and Huntley has been the Ravens' primary quarterback room for years now, and that is again set to be the case in 2026. It's one of the best duos in the NFL, especially since both players share similar skillsets, and Huntley has proven himself to be a competent backup.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (Burrow, Flacco, Johnson)
Let's talk about Josh Johnson for a second. He was a fifth-round pick back in the 2008 NFL Draft and signed with Cincinnati this offseason. It's flat-out insane Johnson has stuck around this long. He's now 40 years old and may honestly want to latch onto a team to hopefully compete for a Super Bowl title.
Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco highlight the Bengals' quarterback room. The main thing here is Burrow being able to stay healthy, which has not consistently happened in his career. However, Burrow is a top-3 quarterback in the NFL when healthy, and Flacco is not only a Super Bowl champion, but he's hung around as a top backup option for years now.
Flacco was last a full season starter way back in 2017 with Baltimore. Since being traded by the Ravens to the Broncos, which was back in 2019, Flacco owns a 11-27 record with 60 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. In 2025 with the Bengals, Flacco threw 13 touchdowns against four interceptions, so that was efficient on paper.
Burrow and Flacco are a very good duo. Flacco has played a ton of football and would be able to step into the lineup in a pinch. If the Bengals hope to do anything in the playoffs this year, though, Burrow needs to stay on the field each week.
2. Detroit Lions (Goff, Bridgewater, Altmyer)
The Detroit Lions come in at No. 2 in our power rankings. Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater is a great duo, as Bridgewater has been a respectable quarterback his entire career. He's been a full-time starter and has also had to fill in as a long-term backup here and there.
Goff, on the other hand, is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL and has thrown no fewer than 29 touchdown passes in each of the last four seasons. If Goff went down for whatever reason, the always efficient Bridgewater, who owns a career passer rating of 90.3, would be able to fill in nicely.
1. Los Angeles Rams (Stafford, Simpson, Bennett)
This was actually not the easiest exercise in the world to do, as it seems like Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett were not really able to stand out much this offseason so far, which isn't ideal. Simpson was a first-round pick back in April, which isn't nothing.
General Manager Les Snead knows what he's doing, so Simpson coud always make a late push for that QB2 job. The real difference-maker in this room, though, is Matthew Stafford. He's the reigning MVP and had nearly 50 touchdown passes in 2025. Given that he just recently played his best football, even a slight regression would have Stafford as one of the top-5 quarterbacks in the NFL.